Yarmouth, ME - Dr. Graeme Hanson, age 79, died on December 4, 2014 in San Francisco, CA from complications related to pulmonary disease.
He was born March 26, 1935 in Augusta, Maine to the late Elliott C. Hanson and to Margarey B. Hanson. Raised in Bath, Maine, Graeme was President of his class for four years at Morse High School, and graduated as Valedictorian of the Class of 1953. He graduated from Yale University in 1958 with a major in German Literature, having spent one of his undergraduate years studying at the University of Heidelberg. After graduating from Harvard Medical School in 1962, he completed his internship at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York, NY and his general psychiatry and child and adolescent psychiatry training at the Massachusetts Mental Health Center. He also served as Chief of Psychiatry at the Randolph Air Force Base in Texas and at the U-Tapao Air Force Base in Thailand.
After working in child psychiatry in the Boston area and holding a faculty position at Harvard Medical School for 10 years, Graeme moved to San Francisco in 1980 where he worked for 24 years at the University of California, San Francisco, rising to become Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics, the position he held at the time of his death. He was a nationally known and widely respected colleague in the field of child and adolescent psychiatry. He played crucial roles in the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, developing policy with respect to child mental health in schools and in systems of care. At UCSF, he held numerous positions, including psychiatric consultant for the nascent infant-parent program at the San Francisco General Hospital, Director of the Langley Porter Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Inpatient Services, and Director of Clinical Services in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Langley Porter. Graeme also previously served as Medical Director and on the Board of Directors at the Edgewood Center for Children and Families in San Francisco, and was a Director Emeritus at the time of his passing.
Graeme was best known by his colleagues for his role as a teacher and mentor. As Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Training Director at UCSF, he shaped the lives and careers of generations of child and adolescent psychiatrists and will be remembered as a masterful clinician who was dedicated to the highest standards of care for his patients, young and old. With his soft voice and kind nature, he approached his work with remarkable passion and humility. Graeme loved his students and they loved him. As one of his current students said on hearing of his passing, "Graeme was such a gem of a person with wisdom, compassion, thoughtfulness, curiosity and a sense of playfulness and joy."
Graeme was also a beloved son, brother, brother-in-law, uncle and friend who will be dearly missed by all those who were honored to be a part of his life. A lover of classical music and opera, he was also an accomplished painter and piano player. His presence will be missed for years to come at lobster bakes and at the Yarmouth Clam Festival, where he taught the Hanson family everything they need to know about love, family, and cooking lobster. One of his passions was also ancient Chinese ceramics, of which he was an avid collector.
He is survived by his mother, Margarey B. Hanson, of Yarmouth, ME and his five siblings: Peggy Carmichael and her husband Robert of Bucksport, ME; James Hanson and his wife Joni of Whitsett, NC; Pamelia Barry of Cumberland Foreside, ME; Cynthia Loomis of Yarmouth, ME; and Deborah Roux and her husband Thomas of Yarmouth, ME. He is also survived by numerous nieces, nephews, grand-nieces, and grand-nephews; and by all of his much-loved friends, colleagues and students from Maine to California.
A time of gathering and reception will be held Saturday January 10, 2015 from 1-2 PM at Lindquist Funeral Home, One Mayberry Lane, Yarmouth, ME with a memorial service beginning at 2:00 PM at the funeral home. Burial will be in Riverside Cemetery in Yarmouth in the spring. Please visit www.lindquistfuneralhome.com to view a video collage of Graeme’s life and to share condolences, memories and tributes with his family.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to: Edgewood Center for Children and Families, 1801 Vicente Street, San Francisco, CA 94116 (www.edgewood.org).
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